


Remember, A Child is Listening.

by Creazy



Category: Julie and the Phantoms
Genre: F/M, Gay Pride, Homophobia, M/M, canonical character deaths, no beta we die like men, read the a/n for more info, religious homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26432326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creazy/pseuds/Creazy
Summary: We saw Luke's family and how it worked for them, but what about Alex?Alex's family wasn't terrible. His parents loved him. They just didn't get it.But what happens after his parents hear the heartbreaking news and what is their life like 25 years later.
Relationships: Alex/Willie, Luke Patterson/Julie Molina, Luke/Julie
Comments: 52
Kudos: 969





	1. The Shadow of the Day

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Remember, A Child is Listening.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28111518) by [helenaaugust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/helenaaugust/pseuds/helenaaugust)



> SOO this show was JUST released and the moment I finished it I whipped out my laptop. I had to get this one out. ALSO, none of the boys (except for Luke) have canonical last names and I need Alex to have a last name for this so I'm just gonna use Joyner since it's Owen's last name and I'll come back and change it if we ever find out what it is. The title is from a quote from Prayers for Bobby. The quote is, "Before you echo AMEN to your home and in place of worship, think and remember, a child is listening."  
> ENJOY!

The band all sat around in the studio on a Thursday afternoon. It was summer, school was out, and they were using the time to plan their next move. They were a little stuck on ideas for a new song, which wasn’t normal. 

So there they sat, Luke and Julie at the piano with some papers, Reggie sitting in the chair messing around with some bass riffs, and Alex was laying on the couch staring at the ceiling. Just staring. His anxiety was telling him he should be helping or that he should be doing something, anything really, but there was this other side that left him wanting nothing more than to be alone in his thoughts where he could just let himself be swallowed by his feelings. They always told him he was the emotional one and maybe they were right. 

“Yo, Alex, what did you think?” Luke calls finally getting his attention. 

He snapped out of his thoughts and back to reality immediately putting on a face and pretending he was all there. 

“Yeah. Yeah. That was good.” He said sitting up on the couch and grabbing his sticks off the table. 

“Dude what’s wrong? You’re not even pacing. Something is definitely wrong.” Reggie threw in. 

Alex ran his fingers through his hair to gather his thoughts. He needed to get out for a bit. Just get away from everyone. “I’m gonna go out for a bit. I just need some fresh air.” He said right before he poofed away. 

Reggie looked over at Luke and Julie. “Does he know we don’t have lungs anymore?” He said mildly concerned. 

Luke put down his paper and pen on the piano. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried. It’s been days since Alex seemed like himself last. It didn’t seem like anything had changed. They were having a bit of writer's block, but nothing that seemed like it would cause that kind of change. He wracked his brain trying to see if Alex had said anything earlier in the week, but came up blank. 

“Okay well if no one is going to address the elephant in the room, I will. Something is wrong with Alex and it’s really starting to worry me.” Julie interjected. 

The guys looked at each other and nodded. 

“I mean he’s always been an over thinker, but this is pretty extreme.” Reggie added. 

Luke sat there still trying to think of what could have been going on. As far as he knew Alex and Willie were doing pretty well and he’d seemed really happy lately. 

“Should we go look for him?” Julie asked. “I don’t know what the proper ghost protocol is.”  
  
“Let’s give him some time and if he doesn’t come back in a few hours we can go check around.” Luke said. “Maybe he just needs some time alone.”

This didn’t sit well for any of them, but they all knew that giving him his privacy was probably the best plan. 

“Fine. I’ll set an alarm to go off in like….three hours and if we haven’t heard from him then you guys can go look around. Sound like a deal?” Julie said grabbing her phone to set her timer.

They guys both agreed. They didn’t want to pry, but at the same time Alex was their best friend and basically their brother and it was clear that something was really bothering him. 

“Okay that’s the alarm set.” Julie said closing out of her alarm app. “Oh hey, did you guys know that the LA Pride festival is next weekend? We should totally see if they have any open slots. It would probably be some weird side stage, but that would still be cool and I think it would really help get our name out there. We should get some rainbow buttons with our name on it or something.”

As she was talking Reggie and Luke looked at each other. They might have just found the smoking gun. They’ve only been ghosts for 6 months or so, and they were still getting used to this new 2020 world. Growing up in the early 90s was a different time. 

“What?” Julie asked after seeing the boys looking at each other. “What did I say?” 

They gave one last look at each other before Reggie spoke up. “That might be why Alex is being so… that.” 

“What do you mean? It’s 2020. Pride festivals are super normal now. It’s not a big deal anymore. Everyone can go to them too.” Julie said. If Alex was worried about the festival she wanted to make sure he knew that a lot has changed since 1995. Unfortunately there were always the vocal minority, but in the last 25 years things have changed so much and for the most part people in the LGBT+ community were very welcomed in Los Angeles. 

“No. I mean, that might be part of it, I don’t know. It’s just complicated.” Luke said snapping her out of her thoughts. 

“Well what can we do?” She finished. She was determined now.

* * *

Alex was walking around Hollywood Blvd just watching the lifers running around taking photos with people dressed up as characters and celebrities. He looked down at the stars below his feet and noted all of the names he had never heard of. Just another reminder of what he could have had if he hadn’t died back then. His name could have been on one of those stars instead of a pair of actual jeans. Who thought that giving a star to a type of jeans was a good idea anyway. But now instead of walking on his own star, he was walking down the walk of fame while people were literally walking right through him. \

He felt like his life was finally getting back to a good place. Or his not-life. This whole thing was still weird and he didn’t think it would get any less weird any time soon. So why did something so positive have to throw him for such a loop. Willie had invited him to go to pride with him. Sure no one would be able to see them, but it would be his first time going to a pride event since he died and it was still a big deal. He was excited, but in the back of his mind there was that looming shadow that he didn’t want to deal with right now. He just wanted to push it back and pretend it doesn’t exist, but he didn’t think that was going to happen. 

After another hour of wandering around he decided to head back to the studio. Surely everyone else had probably come up with something to play by now.   
  


* * *

  
  
“He has 30 minutes.” Julie said looking at her phone timer. “Should we just go now? Where would he even be? I can’t teleport like you.”   
  
Just after she said that Alex poofed back into the room on to the couch.   
  
“Hey guys, come up with anything good?” He said trying to sound as normal as he could. Pushing that looming shadow back was harder than he thought it would be, but damn it if he was going to let it out. 

Julie jumped, not realizing he had returned. “You’re back! Are you alright?”

Alex’s anxiety crept back up. “Yeah. Uhm. I’m fine. I just needed some air. All good.” He cleared his throat. “So what have you guys been working on?”

Luke and Reggie looked at each other. They had accomplished nothing since Alex had left. Partially because of the writer’s block and partially because their thoughts had been otherwise occupied. 

Julie spoke up. “Uhm we didn’t really find anything we liked. Lots of dead ends.” 

Alex just looked around. The anxiety was suddenly accompanied by confusion. Why was everyone being weird?

After what felt like an eternity Julie broke. “You know I can’t keep secrets from my friends.” She said before looking at Alex. “We’re worried about you.” 

Alex just put on a smile. “Guys, don’t worry. I’m fine. Just got a little stuffy in here.” 

“Is it because of pride?” Julie said quickly. “Because a lot of things have changed since 1995. I promise.” 

Alex stiffened. This was not what he wanted to talk about right now. “Pride? No, no. Uhm. Willie invited me to go with him, so that’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah, man that’s great.” Luke added trying to ease the tension that felt like it was threatening to suffocate all of them. 

“Julie suggested we see if we can get a gig during the festival. She had an idea to get cool rainbow buttons with our band name to give out.” Reggie threw in. 

Alex wasn’t expecting that, although it made a lot of sense. “Oh. Uhm. Yeah. We can do that.” He said. 

“We totally don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Julie added. It felt like they were just talking in circles, but she didn’t know what this complicated situation was that the boys had mentioned. 

“I mean we might as well see if there is anything. Get our name out there.” Alex said standing up. “So let’s see if we can break past this writer’s block, shall we? Let’s just practice and see if anything comes.” He was trying to change the subject, of course, but he was also hoping that some time playing with his favorite people would help take this shadow away. He was not in the mood to deal with that now. He’d have to now or later, but for now he chose later.


	2. A Parent's Take On Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex decides he wants to figure out what his parents are doing now, but he keeps being haunted by the memories of their unhappy last years together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything in italics is a flashback.

_“I just think you should see Pastor John about this. I think he could really help you. We’re just trying to do what is best for you!” His mother pleaded._

_“No, mom. Please stop this. This isn’t something I am asking your permission for because that can’t change who I am at a base level.” Alex responded._

_“Alexander! Do not speak to your mother that way.” His father said._

_Alex was feeling defeated. This wasn’t an uncommon situation to find himself in lately. Ever since he came out a couple months earlier the tension between him and his parents could be cut with a knife._

_“You will talk to Pastor John. You made it clear you are not asking for our permission so we aren’t asking for yours. I’ll call him in the morning to set up an appointment. You will go. End of discussion.” His father said after a moment before leaving the room and slamming the door behind him._

_“We are just doing what is best for you. I know you may not see it now, but you will thank us for this in the future.” His mother said softly before following behind his father._

_Alex was lost. He didn’t know what to do. He was left sitting alone in his room feeling nothing and everything at the same time. So he did the one thing he knew would be safe, he went to the studio._

_It didn’t take long to get to the studio on his bike and the moment he got in he collapsed on the couch. All of his energy was drained. No one else was around and he was almost thankful. If a tear was shed that evening in the studio, no one else would ever be the wiser._

* * *

“Bro. Alex? ALEX.” 

He was snapped out of his daydream with a hand waving in his face. 

“Sorry guys. I zoned out for a second.” He said reacquainting himself with his surroundings. 

The three sets of eyes looking back at him didn’t seem appeased by that answer. He knew he needed to talk to someone, but he just couldn’t. Everyone had their own issues with their families, but they were all so different. He still loved his parents and he desperately wanted to know what had happened to them in the last 25 years, but at the same time he didn’t think he could handle it. The passive memories and daydreams were hard enough, he didn’t need to be bombarded by the reality of what his parents had become. 

The idea that they might be the same people scared him, but at the same time it was oddly comforting to think of the lack of change. The thing that haunted him most and was a constant weight in the back of his mind was the idea that maybe, just maybe, his parents were glad he was dead. They wouldn’t worry about what the church thought about their gay son anymore. Did they think he was in hell? Were they happy about it? Is their life better without him in the world? Those are the questions that sat in the back of his mind nagging him over and over.

As pride approached he started seeing things that he didn’t dream of back in 1995. He saw public advertisements on billboards and magazines that had LGBT+ representation. 1995 wasn’t the worst time period, but there was still a level of things that he didn’t think he’d see in his lifetime. Well, to be fair, he didn’t see them in his lifetime. Marriage equality was a universally legal thing in the United States now and people were out and proud on social media. He still wasn’t too sure how all of that social media stuff worked, but he liked the idea of it.

“Aaaand he’s back in his trance.” Luke said. 

Reggie chimed in with his theory, “Is he like… recharging? Do we run out of battery? I haven’t run out of battery, but we don’t sleep so I guess we have to recharge some-”

“Sorry guys. I’m just thinking about a lot of stuff right now. I’m back. What are we doing?” Alex said shaking off the anxiety and shoving those thoughts and questions into a box in the back of its mind where it would, hopefully, stay forever.

* * *

He knocked on the door to respect her privacy. That was a battle they had fought at the beginning and several times in the middle, but in the end everyone (for the most part and barring several occasions on a weekly basis) had accepted that privacy and boundaries are important. 

“Yeah?” Julie asked. 

He peeked through the closed door. “Do you have a minute? I knocked.” 

Julie smiled at the acknowledgement of the knock. Baby steps, she reminded herself. “Of course. What’s up?”

Alex walked through the door the rest of the way and stood awkwardly at the side of the bed, not sure what the appropriate move is.

Julie just chuckled. “You can sit down if you want.” 

“Oh. Yeah. Thanks.” He smiled.

She looked at him with worry in her eyes. “Everything okay?”

“I love the guys. They’re my best friends. My brothers.” He started and then paused. 

She nodded encouraging him to continue. 

“Right, you know that. So I think I want to find my parents and see what they’re doing.” He said, trying to avoid eye contact. 

“Oh okay. Cool. Why don’t you want to tell the guys?” She said hopefully sounding supportive and not too nosy. 

“They just don’t like my parents. My parents weren’t.. Uhm.. the most supportive.” He continued. 

“Gotcha. Okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” She said quickly, trying to alleviate the tension. 

“No it’s fine. They were just really religious.” He said feeling he needed to defend them still.

Julie smiled a half smile and said, “So where do we find them?”

* * *

_“Homosexuals are doomed to spend eternity in hell. If they wanted to change they could be healed from their evil ways.” The pastor said from behind the pulpit as the congregation murmured in agreement._

_“We, as children of the lord, are required to guide his lost sheep back to the herd. Homosexuals are not lost forever, they can be fixed and they can be saved.” He continued._

_A couple of amens were heard from the crowd. Alex’s stomach turned as he tried to avoid eye contact with everyone there._

_“We see the promotion of sodomy becoming more and more common place throughout the years. The homosexual agenda is coming to take your children down with them. We have to be vigilant to work against these forces. We have to watch out for things like rock and roll, television and movies, and most importantly we have to watch out for these grass roots conversion movements made by the sodomites of this town.” By this time the pastor was fired up._

_“We have to save our children!” He finished. It was followed by a loud chorus of amens and applause._

_Alex’s mother looked over at him with a smile. He was supposed to be meeting with Pastor John after church that day and he was dreading it. All he wanted was to get out of the building and go hang out with the guys at the studio. He wondered if they were even there. None of them really did the whole church thing._

_“Alexander?” Pastor John said._

_Alex just nodded._

_Pastor John smiled and ushered him into the back area of the church where his office was. “So what can I do for you?” He said._

_Alex gave him a confused look. Surely his parents had explained the situation. “What do you mean?” Alex asked._

_“Well, I mean, of course your parents told me about the issues you’re experiencing and I will start by saying that I am very glad you’re here. They say the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem.” He smiled. “So where do you think this is all stemming from?”_

_Alex’s anxiety was sky high. What was he supposed to say to that?_

_“I see you’re not very talkative right now.” Pastor John said after a moment. “That’s fine. I can start.”_

_The pastor sat back in his chair and grabbed his bible. “This is going to become your best friend.” He said with a smile. “So let’s start this session with a prayer, shall we?”_

_Alex said nothing, but Pastor John had already bowed his head._

_“Dear Lord, today I am sitting here with a young boy who has been influenced by Satan in ways that we know are unnatural and unholy. I bring him to you today in hopes that you will lay your hand on him in healing and stand with him as he chooses the righteous path of recovery and learns to live his life in your glory.”_

* * *

Alex sat back trying not to think about all of it. He was having second thoughts about finding his parents, but he missed his family very much. Still the nagging wouldn’t stop. Were they happy he was dead? Was life better? He felt like maybe having concrete answers would be better than nothing. He decided he needed a distraction so he poofed over to see what Julie and the boys were up to. 

He found Julie in the kitchen with her dad watching him make lunch. Reggie was there too. There was a weird one sided friendship that Reggie had started with Ray, but it made him happy so who was he to tell him not to. 

“You look pretty rough, man.” Reggie said after seeing him sit down. 

Julie looked at him with a hint of pity in her eyes. She didn’t say anything, probably so that her father didn’t notice. They sat there listening to Ray recount the events of the day and how he had talked to her aunt and she was bringing over some more food for them.

Julie took one more look at Alex’s face and got an idea. Maybe it would be a bad one, but for now she felt like she had to try something.   
  
“Hey dad?” She interrupted.

“Yeah?” He asked, a little confused. 

“Can I ask for some advice?” She said glancing over to Alex without being noticed. 

Her dad smiled at her in a comforting way. “Of course you can, you know that. What’s going on?”

She took a deep breath and hoped that Alex wouldn’t be mad at her. “I have a new friend and he’s having some trouble with his parents.” She started. “They’re pretty religious and they haven’t been very supportive ever since he came out as gay. I don’t know what to tell him. You’re a parent. What kind of parent advice would you give him.” 

Ray put down the knife he was using to butter the bread and looked at her thoughtfully. “Well, that’s a hard one. I suppose the first thing I would say is that I hope he knows that there is nothing wrong with him.” 

Alex was now alternating between watching him intently and avoiding looking at anything. He didn’t know how to feel. 

“Then I would tell him that I don’t think that God would put love in someone’s heart and then refuse to let them have it. The bible says that of all things only 3 will remain forever and the most important is love. I think that sometimes people get so caught up in worrying about what others will think about them and their families that they forget that the thoughts of others is not the same as the thoughts of God. I don’t know if that makes sense.” He said trying to gather his thoughts more coherently. 

Julie looked over at Alex who was intently watching her dad. “Yeah, that makes sense. What should he do about his parents?”

Her dad took a deep breath. “I don’t know what his home life is like or what his family is like, but if they are good parents they will love their child unconditionally. It may take some time for them to wrap their head around the situation, but give them a chance to come around.” He went back to buttering his bread for his sandwich. 

“And if he feels like he needs somewhere to stay for a bit and his parents are okay with it, tell him that we have a couch that turns into a bed over in the studio with his name on it. Alright?” He smiled. “Any friend of my Julie’s is welcome in this house.”

“Thanks, dad.” She smiled.

Julie looked over at Alex, but he wasn’t looking. She went to say something else, but he poofed out. Reggie was still there though. He looked over at her. 

“I’ll go see if he’s in the studio.” He said before he poofed away.

She hoped she hadn’t overstepped, but she thought maybe hearing something from a parent would help. She just hoped he wasn’t mad, but she was going to give him some time anyway. 

“Are you making me one too?” She asked her dad as he pulled the grilled cheese off the pan.


	3. How Do You Define Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pride has come and they have a gig. What could go wrong? Or right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are flashbacks.

It had been a few days and things had returned back to normal, more or less. They had gotten back into the swing of writing and they had booked a gig at the Pride festival. No news on finding his parents, but at the same time he didn’t really press the matter of finding them. Maybe they didn’t want to be found. He had checked his old house, but they didn’t live there anymore so other than that he decided maybe he should leave it. Julie had said she would look them up online, but he didn’t push it and she didn’t want to overstep so they just left it for now. 

They were rehearsing for their gig at pride. Everyone was getting excited. It wasn’t a very big gig. It was just a show at a cafe on the strip, but it was a chance to get their name out and that’s what mattered at this point. Alex was feeling better about things. The things that Ray had said had stuck with him. Maybe he was starting to understand what Reggie saw in him. 

There was something comforting about knowing that he would have been allowed to sleep in the studio if he was alive at this time. Just knowing that he would always have a place and his band family was enough for now. It had quieted the little voice in the back of his mind a little. Sure he was still curious about his parents and he hoped they were doing well, but for now he was happy with his little family. He had the boys, he had Julie, and he even had Ray and Carlos even if they didn’t know who he was. 

Alex had been really looking forward to hanging out with Willie at pride. Just getting to hang out and explore everything and anywhere he wanted to without anyone noticing or saying anything was exhilarating for someone that typically liked to work within the rules. He wasn’t exactly used to the fact that he could get into anywhere, but he was warming up to the opportunities it provided. 

The gig was only a day away and they were in the studio going over their set list for the night. Alex was excited. He loved playing with the band and there was something even more exciting to know that Willie would be there watching. It would be his first time ever seeing them perform and he was ready to put on a show. 

“Okay so let’s run it back from the pre chorus on that first part. Are you guys ready?” Julie said, writing a note on her paper that was on the piano. 

“Let’s do it.” Luke said with a smile. 

It was no secret to anyone that Luke was smitten with Julie. Everyone could see it even though the two of them refused to admit it aloud. No one really knew how a relationship between a ghost and a lifer would work, but maybe that’s why they didn’t want to admit to what was happening. It was weird enough dating another ghost. Alex imagined what his past self would have said if he told him what his life was like now. Or not-life. He still wasn’t sure how to qualify what was happening. If only he knew back then what he knows now.

* * *

_“Where do you think you’re going?” His father yelled._

_Alex didn’t want to answer. He wanted to just grab his stuff and go.  
  
“You will answer me.” He growled. _

_Alex didn’t want a fight, but he knew that might just be what he was going to get._

_“We have a gig tonight. It’s a big deal. Like a really big deal. I have to go or I’m going to be late for soundcheck.” He said as he continued to grab his things._

_His mother looked between the two men with concern. “Alex, we don’t think this is good for you.” She said quietly._

_Alex turned to his mom and froze. This was not the way he wanted to start what was probably going to be the best night of his life. “We’re playing the Orpheum, mom. This is huge! We have worked so hard for this. It’s my dream.”_

_His dad stepped between them. “This music is tainting your soul. Pastor John said that you missed your last meeting with him. Is it because of this? Because of this devil music?”_

_“Have you ever even listened to our music, dad? We’re kind of a big deal, if you didn’t notice.” He said letting his words bite at the end in anger. He knew that his parents never listened to their music. He knew that they blamed the band as part of the reason he was gay, which was absolutely insane. Playing music doesn’t make a person gay._

_The anger was visibly boiling up in his father’s face. His mother, however, stood back just looking concerned. She seemed like she was on the verge of tears. If Alex had let himself dwell on that fact for a moment longer he would have second guessed his decision to leave, so he grabbed his bag._

_“Do you not see what this is doing to your mother?” His father yelled behind him as he made his way out of the room._

_He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. They could have this fight later. He was not going to let them ruin the best night of his life._

_“I love you guys. I’ll be home late.” He said as he made his way out of the house as quickly as he could to avoid anyone from trying to stop him._

_Once he got outside of the house and away from the door he took a deep breath and let the anxiety from the fight slip out. All that he had time for now was the excitement. They were going to play the Orpheum. This was going to be a night to remember. He was ready._

* * *

“Alright, we’re on at 8, but we can hang out around here until then.” Julie said. 

They had arrived at the venue at 5 for a quick sound check and then they were able to go and walk around the festival outside for a bit until it was time. The festival was so colorful and it was full of food and craft vendors that they all explored. They all went off in their groups. Julie and Luke, Alex and Willie, and Reggie went with Ray and Carlos. They had invited him to go with them, but he insisted. Weird dynamic, but if he was happy, who were they to stop him. 

Willie and Alex explored for a while before Willie had to go for a while so Alex decided on rejoining with the crew. Ray and Carlos had grabbed food and so they all sat around at a table and the boys talked about the show and occasionally gossiped about the people around them. It took everything in Julie not to laugh at everything. 

Luke tried to be all business but it just didn’t work. “So when we play-” He started before he was interrupted.

“THAT DOG IS RAINBOW.” Reggie yelled. 

Julie turned to see what they were talking about and sure enough it was a little white dog with rainbow dyed ears. It was definitely adorable, but the reaction of the guys made it even better.

“How did they do that?? Julie? Do you see this?? It’s literally a rainbow.” Reggie went on. 

“That might be the cutest dog in the whole world. Oh my god.” Alex said before he noticed another little dog pulling toward them. 

“I’m so sorry she’s not usually like this. She must smell the food or something.” A woman said apologetically as she tried to pull back a husky puppy with a big rainbow bow around her neck but the dog was adamant about coming over to visit. 

“Julie. Tell her to let the puppy come over. Please. Tell her.” Luke pleaded. 

Julie smiled. “Can she come over?” She said. 

The woman shrugged and let the puppy pull her over to the table where they were sitting. Carlos got down from the chair to greet the dog, the puppy, however, had other plans. She didn’t head toward Carlos or Julie. No, the puppy headed for the seemingly empty seat next to them. 

“Can the puppy see us?” Reggie said eyes wide.

Alex got up and was playing around with the puppy, but to everyone else it seemed like the dog was excited and jumping around an empty chair. It didn’t take long for the boys to fight over who got to play with the dog. 

“This is so weird. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what got into her.” The owner said apologetically as she picked the little puppy up. “Have a good night guys. Happy pride.” She said and then walked away.

Julie couldn’t help but laugh at the mixed reactions of the guys. Luke was sad that she had taken the dog away, Reggie was just excited that there was a dog, and Alex was going on about how it’s possible a dog could see them. 

They sat around while the family finished their food and listened to the bands on the main stage in the street. They were great, but it didn’t stop the guys from critiquing everything they did. Suddenly the band on the stage said their thank yous and started off the stage. A man walked up to the microphone. 

“We want to thank everyone coming out to listen to music with us tonight and celebrate being proud of who you are. Loving yourself is important and loving others is important too. As we set up for our next act we have a speaker from a nonprofit organization that works to educate parents and families of LGBT+ children and help them find resources for both them and their families. Please welcome Linda and Robert Joyner.” The man said, introducing the speakers. 

The conversations about the dog and the bands stopped immediately and Julie was confused. The color drained from Alex’s face. She looked around trying to figure out what was going on, but it only took a few seconds for her to read the looks on the guys faces. They knew them, and from the look on Alex’s face, she knew them too. 

An older woman took the microphone from the man that introduced them and was followed on stage by an older looking man. If Julie hadn’t guessed already she would have known now. The family resemblance was clear. She looked over at Alex who looked like he was about to vanish at any moment. After a quick look over to her father and brother to make sure they weren’t paying attention she leaned in closer to Alex.

“Are you okay?” She whispered. She wished she could hold his hand or give him a hug or something, but the boys were one step ahead of her. Luke had grabbed Alex’s hand and Reggie had an arm around his shoulder. 

He just gave her a little nod. His focus was laser set on his parents that had taken the stage.

“Hi everyone. Thank you for having us today.” The woman said warmly. Several cheers followed.

“My name is Linda and this is my husband Robert. We are here to tell a little about our story and to let you know what our organization offers.” She smiled. Alex’s father put his arm around her shoulder as she spoke. 

“Our son Alex was the best thing to happen to us. He was kind, trustworthy, loyal, and talented beyond belief. Everything you could want in a kid. When he was 16 he came out to us as gay. I wish I could stand here and tell you that we’re here because we did everything right and we want to tell you how we did it, but that’s not how it happened and that’s the real reason we’re here. Alex came out to us in 1994 and at the time we didn’t know what to do. Our church was adamant that it was a problem. Everything was telling us that he was going to hell and that if we didn’t get him help we were bad parents. We tried everything we were told to do. We said some horrible things to him. We forced him to do weekly counseling with our pastor and to this day I’m not sure what he was told there. It’s one of our biggest regrets.” She said and her husband nodded.

“One night in 1995 we received the knock on the door that no parent wants to have. The officer stood on our porch and told us that our son had been taken to the hospital and was in critical condition. The officer told us that we should get to the hospital as soon as we could because it was not looking good.” She took a shaky breath.

“You’d think this would get easier after 25 years, but it doesn’t.” She chuckled and wiped a tear. Her husband took the mic from her to continue and rubbed her shoulder. 

“Our son Alex passed away 25 years ago and the last conversation we had was a fight. Not just any fight, a fight where we questioned who he was as a human being. I said a lot of things that I wish I could take back, but the one thing I hold with me is that the last thing that my son said to me was that he loved us. Even after everything he still loved us.” He said.

“After his passing we went through a lot of grief, as any parent would, but we reached out for help and we were welcomed with open arms by the nonprofit that we are here representing today. They offered us therapy, a community, and they gave us a community of parents that had also lost their children in a bunch of different ways. It took a long time of processing and learning, but we both hold on to the fact that even though it’s too late for us and for Alex, it’s not too late for other families. Our organization offers therapy for individuals as well as for families, they have bible studies and youth groups for those who are religious, and they work to provide information at the pace you are able to take it at. We went through a period where we didn’t want to hear anything and they still put up with us and stuck with us to the other side.” He laughed a little bit. Alex’s mom laughed too, wiping another tear. 

“We are here today to tell you that if you or your family needs resources, they’re out there. Back in 1995 we didn’t have the luxury of having the depths of the internet to find information from and even still, we know it can be overwhelming. So if you or your family wants to reach out we have social workers available to sit down with you and meet you where you are.” He said and Linda reached up and took the mic back. 

“Our biggest regret is wasting the precious time we had with our son fighting and telling him he’s not good enough. He was good enough. He IS good enough, and you are too. You are loved, you are good enough, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with you.” She wiped another tear quickly. 

“If you would like some information you can pick up a brochure or find us online. No one is too far gone. Just look at us. Thank you all for listening and God bless you all.” She finished.

It looked as though they were going to head off the stage, but just before they turned to leave she lifted the mic one last time.

  
“And Alex, wherever you are. We love you, so much, and we’re so proud of who you were.” She said and blew a kiss to the sky before they turned to walk off. 

Julie was crying at this point. She looked to Alex who sat eyes wide and mouth agape. Tears sliding down his cheeks. His grip on Luke’s hand was iron tight and Reggie had gone from having an arm over his shoulder to fully hugging him and resting his head on his shoulder. All three of them had tears in their eyes. Julie didn’t know what to do now. She wanted to check on Alex, but she wasn’t sure how or what she should say. 

“Hey we’re gonna go get some dessert.” Ray said snapping Julie out of her trance. 

She turned to look at him and he saw she had been crying. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” He said concerned. 

She quickly wiped her tears away. “Yeah I’m fine. I was just listening to those speakers. They had an emotional story. I’m fine.” She said with a smile. 

Ray gave her a smile and held his finger out to loop with hers.

“Dad come on, the line is already really long.” Carlos said, not realizing the moment that he was interrupting. 

“Bring me some back.” Julie said with a smile and Ray headed over to follow Carlos. 

As soon as they were headed away she turned to move around to the other side of the table so she could see the boys better. They hadn’t moved from the position they were in at the end of the speech. The next band had taken the stage and were introducing themselves at that point. 

“Hey.” Julie said, getting Alex’s attention. She waited for a second before he looked at her. “Guess we found them.” She smiled. 

Alex let out a little laugh. Yeah, they did, and the weird thing is that of all of the situations that his brain had come up with when he thought of finding his parents, this hadn’t even been on the radar. He had just heard his parents say they were proud of him. Deep down he had known they loved him, but they just stood in front of hundreds of people and said they loved him and that they loved him unconditionally. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He wanted to run up and hug them. 

“I don’t mean to ruin the moment, but we’re on in 30.” Luke said looking at the time. He stood up and offered a hand to help Alex up. “Ready to go rock this festival?” 

“Absolutely.” Alex said, taking Luke’s hand and getting up. They had a band hug and if it looked weird to outsiders, Julie didn’t mind.


End file.
